Christchurch writer Kate Preece is on a roll. Her delightful children’s book One Weka Went Walking has made it onto Storylines’ annual Notable Book Awards list and she has also won an international short story competition for her beautifully paced Lake Fly.
Storylines’ Notable Book Awards provide adult buyers and young readers with annual lists of the 10 best New Zealand books published in one of five genres. Announced each November, they function as a buying guide for families’ Christmas presents, and for schools and libraries.
One Weka Went Walking has been included on the non-fiction list, a real coup for Kate and her illustrator, Christchurch architect Pippa Ensor. The book shines a light on the rare and endangered bird species of Rēkohu Chatham Islands.
Hot on the heels of that announcement comes the news that Kate’s short story Lake Fly has taken out ‘The Story I Needed to Have Read’ international writing competition, run by Exisle Publishing. You can read more about the competition here, where you will also find a link to Kate’s winning story. In the words of the judges, “It's not easy to get dialogue right and Kate has done a great job. Mature formulation of thought, restrained, compelling, complex, evocative.”
Ka pai Kate!